Act One Scene Three

Now by my Maidenhead, at twelve year old
I bade her come. What Lamb: what Ladybird,
God forbid, Where's this Girl? what Juliet?

>>> Girl? what Juliet?

Enter Juliet.

--- Girl? what Juliet?

Juliet.

How now, who calls?

--- now, who calls?

Nurse.

Your Mother.

--- Your Mother.

Juliet.

Madam I am here, what is your will?

--- is your will?

Capulet Wife.

This is the matter - Nurse give leave awhile,
We must talk in secret. Nurse come back again,
I have remembered me, thou's hear our counsel.
Thou knowest my daughter's of a pretty age.

--- a prety age.

Nurse.

Faith I can tell her age unto an hour.

--- unto an hour.

Capulet Wife.

She's not fourteen.

--- She's not fourteen.

Nurse.

I'll lay fourteen of my teeth,

And yet to my teen be it spoken,
I have but four, she's not fourteen.
How long is it now to Lammas tide?

--- to Lammas tide?

Capulet Wife.

A fortnight and odd days.

--- and odd days.

Nurse.

Even or odd, of all days in the year
Come Lammas Eve at night shall she be fourteen.
Susan and she, God rest all Christian souls,
Were of an age. Well Susan is with God,
She was too good for me. But as I said,
On Lammas Eve at night shall she be fourteen,
That shall she, marry! I remember it well.
'Tis since the Earthquake now eleven years,
And she was weaned I never shall forget it,
Of all the days of the year, upon that day:
For I had then laid Wormwood to my Dug
Sitting in the Sun under the Dovehouse wall,
My Lord and you were then at Mantua.
Nay I do bear a brain. But as I said,
When it did taste the Wormwood on the nipple
Of my Dug, and felt it bitter, pretty fool,
To see it tetchy, and fall out with the Dug,
'Shake' quoth the Dovehouse, 'twas no need I trow
To bid me trudge.
And since that time it is eleven years,
For then she could stand alone, nay bi'th' rood
She could have run, and waddled all about:
For even the day before she broke her brow,
And then my Husband - God be with his soul,
A was a merry man, - took up the Child,
Yea quoth he, dost thou fall upon thy face?
Thou wilt fall backward when thou hast more wit,
Wilt thou not Jule? And by my holy-dam,
The pretty wretch left crying, and said 'Ay':
To see now how a Jest shall come about!
I warrant, and I shall live a thousand years,
I never should forget it. 'Wilt thou not, Jule?' quoth he?
And pretty fool, it stinted, and said 'Ay'.

--- and said I.

Capulet Wife

Enough of this, I pray thee hold thy peace.

--- hold thy peace.

Nurse.

Yes Madam, yet I cannot choose but laugh,
To think it should leave crying, and say 'Ay':
And yet I warrant it had upon it brow,
A bump as big as a young Cockerel's stone;
A perilous knock, and it cried bitterly.
Yea quoth my husband, fall'st upon thy face?
Thou wilt fall backward when thou comest to age:
Wilt thou not Jule? It stinted: and said 'Ay'.

--- and said 'Ay'.

Juliet.

And stint thou too, I pray thee Nurse, say I.

--- Nurse, say I.

Nurse.

Peace I have done: God mark thee to his grace
Thou was't the prettiest Babe that ere I nursed,
And I might live to see thee married once,
I have my wish.

--- have my wish.

Capulet Wife

Marry that 'marry' is the very theme
I came to talk of. Tell me daughter Juliet,
How stands your disposition to be Married?

--- to be Married?

Juliet.

It is an honour that I dream not of.

--- dream not of.

Nurse.

An honour! Were I not thine only Nurse,
I would say thou hadst sucked wisdom from thy teat.

--- from thy teat.

Capulet Wife.

Well think of marriage now. Younger than you,
Here in Verona, Ladies of esteem,
Are made already Mothers. By my count
I was your Mother, much upon these years
That you are now a Maid. Thus then in brief:
The valiant Paris seeks you for his love.

--- for his love.

Nurse.

A man, young Lady; Lady, such a man
As all the world - why he's a man of wax.

--- man of wax.

Capulet Wife.

Verona's Summer hath not such a flower.

--- such a flower.

Nurse.

Nay he's a flower, infaith a very flower.

--- a very flower.

Capulet Wife.

What say you, can you love the Gentleman?
This night you shall behold him at our Feast,
Read o'er the volume of young Paris' face,
And find delight, writ there with Beauty's pen:
Examine every several lineament,
And see how one another lends content:
And what obscured in this fair volume lies,
Find written in the Margent of his eyes.
This precious Book of Love, this unbound Lover,
To Beautify him, only lacks a Cover.
The fish lives in the Sea, and 'tis much pride
For fair without, the fair within to hide.
That Book in many's eyes doth share the glory,
That in Gold clasps, Locks in the Golden story.
So shall you share all that he doth possess,
By having him, making yourself no less.

--- self no less.

Nurse.

No less, nay bigger: women grow by men.

--- grow by men.

Capulet Wife

Speak briefly, can you like of Paris' love?

--- of Paris love?

Juliet.

I'll look to like, if looking liking move.
But no more deep will I endart mine eye,
Than your consent gives strength to make it fly.

>>> to make it fly.

Enter a Serving man.

--- to make it fly.

Servingman.

Madam, the guests are come, supper served up, you called, my young Lady asked for, the Nurse cursed in the Pantry, and every thing in extremity. I must hence to wait, I beseech you follow straight.